[Note: Read up to Chapter - 141 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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"They've... stopped!"
"No, they haven't just stopped — those spiders are kneeling to us!"
"What's going on? They're obeying Iris's orders!"
"Blimey, that's the might of the Dragon Messenger for you!"
Everyone except Aris and Hagrid stared wide-eyed, hardly able to believe what they were seeing.
Hermione looked blankly at Aris beside her and asked in surprise, "So, you knew Iris could scare off those spiders all along?"
"Yeah!" Aris nodded and shrugged. "Told you — those spiders aren't a threat. You just wouldn't believe me."
Hearing that, Hermione patted her chest and finally let out a breath of relief.
Honestly, in that situation, who'd have dared believe Aris?
The spiders were so densely packed that it was enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
The best she'd hoped for was that the little Dragon might help them break through.
Who'd have thought Iris's power would be strong enough to make every single spider bow down?
"This is wicked!" Harry watched the spiders kneeling in disbelief, a grin slowly spreading across his face.
Boys always have a soft spot for cool stuff, and Harry was no different.
Ron was in the same boat. If he'd had a phone with a camera, he'd have dashed right into the middle of that spider swarm to snap a selfie.
He reckoned if he told the other kids back at the castle, they'd never believe a word of it. Heck, he wouldn't have believed himself if not for the fact that he was witnessing the scene right in front of him!
The centaurs were gobsmacked too — they knew better than anyone just how fierce those eight-legged beasts were.
Those spiders were pretty much natural enemies to every creature in the Forbidden Forest, hunting down anything they fancied.
They never imagined that a roar from Iris could bring their sworn enemy to heel.
It was a sight they just couldn't wrap their heads around.
"Let's crack on — keep moving!"
Aris glanced down the path leading deeper into the forest.
From here on, they'd need to be extra cautious.
The further in they went, the nastier the beasts would be.
There were werewolves, too, but compared to the truly fearsome magical creatures lurking about, they were small fry.
The group set off again.
"Aris, how exactly did Iris do that?" Harry's face still showed a mix of shock and excitement.
"I mean, with just a dragon's roar, those spiders shouldn't have been able to..."
The would-be hero struggled to find the right words.
But Aris clearly knew what he meant and grinned, "It's pretty simple, really!"
"Iris gave their ancestor a right good thrashing — now the spiders are a bit scared of her..."
"Is it really that simple?" Harry was gobsmacked.
"Simple? Did you just say simple?" Ron shot Harry a weird look. "These spiders are already massive. Just picture how huge their ancestors must've been — probably as tall as a bloody house..."
"I can't think of anything but a dragon that could take down a beast like that!"
"It's not exactly a walk in the park!" Hermione chimed in from the side.
She glanced at the little Dragon with genuine admiration. "Iris is simply the best!"
At Hermione's praise, the little dragon narrowed her eyes and curled up comfortably in Aris's arms — clearly feeling quite chuffed.
"My king, the werewolf territory lies ahead. Should we take a detour?" Bain's voice came from the front.
Aris could definitely feel the centaurs' respect for both him and the little dragon growing.
That's what strength brings.
If Bain's respect for Aris had once been just a matter of fate, now the image of Aris in the eyes of these Centaur folk was becoming more concrete and mysterious — a very promising sign.
"Why should we bother going around?" Before Aris could reply, Iris's voice cut in.
"Those werewolves who can't even transform aren't fit to be my opponents!"
The little dragon lifted her head with a cheeky pride and boasted to Aris, "As long as I'm here, they won't dare come within three miles!"
"Then let's crack on!" Aris nodded to Bain.
This was exactly what he expected.
He was the only one who truly understood the little Dragon's abilities.
A magical dragon lass from some two-dimensional world, with a powerful dark Dragon bloodline — she could easily outmatch most wizards with her dragon-speech magic. How could such a creature be fazed by a bunch of scruffy, disorganised werewolves?
The group pressed forward.
After passing through a thick forest, they suddenly came upon a small canyon.
A clear river snaked out from its depths, winding like a long dragon creeping deep into this mysterious, forbidding forest.
The place had a rare kind of beauty all its own.
"Our tribe's camp is just ahead!"
Bain gestured to the upper reaches of the canyon with a smile.
Harry and Ron stared at the small canyon in amazement. "It's actually incredible."
It didn't feel eerie or threatening like the rest of the Forbidden Forest — more like a little slice of paradise.
"This spot used to be the animals' watering hole. Everyone follows the truce when drinking, so it's probably the safest place deep in the whole Forbidden Forest!"
"We've claimed this spot, and our main job is to keep it from falling into chaos again, so the ordinary creatures of the forest have a safe place to rest!"
Bain explained earnestly, his tone sounding rather serious.
Naturally, the wizards outside the forest had no idea about the truce at the watering hole, so Bain had to explain it no less than ten times.
Ten minutes later, the group reached the outskirts of the centaur camp.
It was a small settlement built on the mountain, with tall trees scattered throughout. A small river ran alongside, flowing down from the depths of the canyon. The whole place looked calm and peaceful.
"Master, that's the camp I rebuilt for the centaur tribe!"
"You wouldn't believe it — their old homes were just rough shelters made from branches beside the stream, surrounded by thick bushes and low trees. Not at all fit for centaurs to live in… So I burned the lot down with my dragon breath!"
"But I spared the big trees — they'll serve as supports for the new centaur houses. They're not just sturdy, they look smashing too!"
"Though the houses inside are still just prototypes, and I haven't quite nailed the design yet..."
The little Dragon suddenly perked up, clearly proud.
As if this camp was made just for her!
Glancing at the small but formed camp ahead, Aris nodded with satisfaction.
"Good job — Iris's getting better and better!"
"Wuhu~!" The little Dragon let out a mighty roar, shot into the sky, and headed straight for the camp.
Inside, the centaurs heard the familiar cry and looked up.
Without missing a beat, they dropped everything and hurried outside.
Led by Firenze and Ronan, they quickly formed ranks at the camp's entrance, like soldiers and townsfolk standing to greet their king — a long, orderly welcoming party.
"My King!!!"
As Aris's group arrived at the front, voices rang out clear and proud.
Every centaur — young, old, male, and female — half-knelt and bowed low to the boy.
Back with Ron and Harry, both looked well impressed and a touch envious.
"These centaurs are proper powerful. But why do they call Aris their 'king'? Did the little Dragon beat them like she did the spiders?"
"Can't be," Hermione said, pointing at a young centaur with wide eyes. "Even they seem to look up to Aris like he's the real deal. That's not something that should have been possible with strength… It might be possible to achieve coercion through force, but not admiration… well, not from most people, I suppose…"
"Then how the hell did he manage it..."
"I don't know either!" Hermione just shook her head.
There were few things Aris did that he could wrap his head around.
And even now, he still hadn't a clue why Aris had ventured into the Forbidden Forest in the first place…
There's no way he just came to visit the centaurs, right?
"Harry, look over there…"
Ronald suddenly tugged at Harry's robe, his face twisted with curiosity.
"What?" Following Ronald's gaze, Harry's expression shifted to one of puzzlement.
"What's Iris up to?"
After the little Dragon swooped down from the sky, she didn't fly back to Aris.
Instead, she darted straight to the deepest part of the camp.
There stood a large building, nestled against the stone cliff at the back, with a weathered stone tablet hanging by the entrance.
Scrawled on it in crooked handwriting were the words: Dragon Lair!
Next to the tablet, wooden boards bore bold warning signs, forbidding anyone from approaching...
"Is that Iris's lair?"
Ronald scratched his head, feeling something was off as he eyed the uneven letters on the stone tablet.
"But… isn't this the centaur tribe? How come Iris has a lair here?"
Aris noticed it too and glanced at Bain.
Bain quickly explained, "The envoy dug out a cave in the mountain wall and built that structure alongside it to store supplies. Basically, all the centaurs' wealth and stock are kept inside. As the envoy said: with her guarding it, no one's getting their mitts on a thing…"
Hearing this, the corner of Aris's mouth twitched slightly.
He'd told Iris to return the centaurs' wealth, but he never expected the little Dragon to go about it like this.
The money was indeed paid back… but in the end, it was stashed away in her own lair!
That little rascal!
"No wonder she was so keen on building a new camp. Turns out she wanted to build herself a nest here too…"
Aris shook his head, utterly speechless.
He really should've known better than to expect kindness from a young dragon.
Little dragons at this age are the naughtiest of the lot. Aris knows this all too well!
"Ah, well—let her make a fuss for now!"
Aris looked up toward the part of the camp where the centaurs lived.
Tall, mighty trees stood proud, the ground mostly cleared, with uneven patches covered in fresh soil. Overall, the area was fairly flat—plenty of room to build a small house or even a treehouse.
He'd always thought centaurs weren't suited to living in trees.
So their homes were built beside the trees, using the trunks as natural supports—a clever way to ease construction and speed things up.
So, their homes could only be built beside the trees, using the sturdy trunks as the foundation—actually the best solution.
This way, construction becomes much easier and faster.
With that in mind, Aris strode straight towards the centaur dwellings.
"My king, what are you up to now...?" Bain hurried after him.
"I'll give things a bit of a boost!"
By then, Aris had already reached the housing area.
He glanced around at the giant trees. Most had thick, straight trunks that would take at least ten people to wrap their arms around. The roots were deeply embedded in the earth—no one knew just how far down they stretched.
"Very impressive," Aris murmured after a moment's inspection, nodding slightly.
He drew his wand, casting strands of ochre-coloured light ahead as he waved it.
"Soil reinforcement!"
Wherever the ochre light touched, the soft soil underfoot rapidly hardened, visibly turning to a stone-like texture.
Once the elemental energy had spread across the whole housing area, Aris gently flicked his wand to cut off the magic flow.
By now, the ground in the housing area had become remarkably flat and neat.
Aris waved his wand once more.
"Wall of giant trees!"
The enormous trees seemed to come alive, their branches sweeping downwards, swiftly weaving together into walls at the roots. Soon, the outlines of tree houses took shape.
Inside, there were beds, mattresses, and all manner of furniture…
Watching this magical spectacle, the centaurs were clearly taken aback.
They instinctively knelt before Aris once more, cheering, "Thank you, my king!"
"What kind of magic is that? Have you ever seen anything like it?" Harry asked Hermione and Ronald, looking utterly baffled.
Ronald's reaction was no surprise—he was even more bewildered than Harry.
Staring at the earthen walls and tree houses rising from the ground, his jaw practically dropped.
Only Hermione's eyes gleamed with understanding.
"It's earth magic and wood magic…" she said, and at the same time began to think to herself, 'Aris has actually mastered wood magic? When did that happen?'
"Earth magic?" Harry blinked in surprise.
"Wood magic?" Ronald looked at Hermione, utterly confused.
"Are those even in the standard spellbooks?"
And the very names of the magic—something about them felt so unusual, so completely different from other spells!
"This is elemental magic. It taps into the power of the elements and can reshape nature!"
Hermione offered a brief explanation but held back from revealing too much without Aris's nod.
Her caution, however, was needless—Harry and Ronald still hadn't the foggiest.
Both wore utterly baffled expressions.
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 141 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]